I had the good fortune to meet and work with Bill McDermott years ago when he was with Xerox. Since then he has gone on to lead SAP and now write an excellent book titled Winners Dream: A Journey from the Corner Store to the Corner Office. Bill was gracious [...]

You and your business are more likely to become irrelevant before you ever become obsolete. Blackberry is a great example. Its market share for smartphones was 40% in 2010. It is less than 2% today despite an 85% growth in the number of annual smartphone sales. Blackberry didn’t lose [...]

The Road Runner cartoons are wrong. Wile E. Coyote is the exception rather than the rule. Coyotes are idea models for remaining nimble and flourishing in the face of change. Need proof? They continue to grow and expand in the face of continuous human encroachment on their territory. They do [...]

How much paid vacation do you receive from your company? Do you take it all, or do you find yourself giving or banking time at the end of the year? Would you take more time off if you were allowed? Even if it meant that your team would underperform or [...]

From Randy Pennington: It depends on your definition of “teamwork.” It is absolutely critical if you define teamwork as everyone having a shared vision; clear roles and responsibilities; delivering their best to help the entire unit succeed; and keeping personal differences from derailing the group’s performance and results. The problem [...]

There is no shortage of change models being pushed by authors and consultants. Each claims their supporters and detractors. I have one as well. It is the latest iteration of a model I developed and began using and presenting in 1989. Twice in the past two weeks perspective clients have [...]

From Mark Sanborn: The worst enemy of business? Indifference. Indifference is a lack of concern, interest or sympathy and it hurts business in two areas: people & process. A lack of concern for your employees/colleagues and your customers/clients is the quickest way to destroy commitment and loyalty. Even when you [...]

From Scott McKain: Customer service is bad at most places, because evidently that is what CEO’s and managers want. What other reason could there be for them to accept such miserable performance? Most care more about selling than serving. We know that when sales decline, companies will buy ads, offer new [...]

I have stayed away from any direct public comment about the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. I don’t know the facts, and any comment would be pure conjecture. But, I do know what I’ve seen in the way of leadership from the players involved. With very few exceptions, [...]

From Larry Winget: A leaders most important job: To lead. Duh. How do you lead? Not from behind, that’s for sure. Leaders have to get out in front with their ideas, vision, energy and presence. As I watch movies and TV shows about the battles of old, I always see [...]